Monday morning, I was traveling east on US-30 from Dyer to Merrillville.

I became frustrated while driving my car in the left travel lane as the car in front of me was barely going the speed limit, maybe even a little under the speed limit. Usually, such cars stay in the slower right lane.

I typically travel 5-10mph over the speed limit (although I know that I shouldn’t,) and I was biting my tongue, wishing the slower drivers would stay in that right lane. As too often is the case in my life, I was hurrying to get somewhere and the time of my planned arrival really wouldn’t be hurt if I reached that destination 5 or 10 minutes later than I had wanted to.

I told myself that I was being silly in becoming frustrated. I wondered if the driver might with dealing with something that was bothering them, or maybe they were just lost in thought. Maybe the driver was looking for a destination to the left of the road and had to travel slower to find it. Maybe the driver was just doing what was supposed to be done in keeping within the speed limit.

I then asked myself what I should learn from my impatient behavior.

I think that, when we follow God’s Commandments, others may be impatient with us. They might suggest such things as “you are too Catholic” or “God will not mind if you do something that you know you shouldn’t if it is just one time.” We should follow the Commandments and not give into peer pressure or the temptation to “fudge a bit” on what they require of ourselves.

I think that God may also be asking us to slow down in our busy lives and “take time to smell the roses” and remember that He is always present and wants us to see that presence in each other and in our lives.  

Maybe God is answering our prayers for our safety and He is protecting us from ourselves.

Maybe God is simply loving us so much that He wants to keep us safe.

There is a lot to think about while following a slow driver.



By: Deacon Tom Gryzbek